This disclosure relates to hockey sticks and, more particularly, to hockey sticks having rectangular, hollow shafts.
Prior art handles or shafts of hockey sticks are formed of materials selected, for example, from wood, metal, such as, aluminum, fiber glass, Kevlar® oriented polyethylene, other plastics and composite materials. A hockey stick shaft typically has flat front and back faces that are relatively wider than the shaft's thickness that extends from the front face to the back face. Some hockey sticks are made having a shaft formed as a rectangular, hollow shaft. The force exerted on the hockey stick is typically the greatest when the player is hitting the puck. When the player is shooting, passing or taking a slap shot with the hockey stick, a substantial amount of force may be exerted on a lower part of the shaft. This force in many cases is greater than the stick can withstand and results in the hockey stick breaking, sometimes into several or many pieces.
There is, therefore, a need for an improved hockey stick, shaft or handle that provides a new balance of properties, such as by being more resistant to breakage while seeking to provide an optimal balance between flexibility and stiffness.